Mosin Nagant, M38 dated 1943 in a Laminated Stock

by Jack Flintstone
(Los Angeles)

This rifle, a Izhevsk M38 Mosin Nagant carbine, is arguably the most bang you can get for your buck on the surplus market. It took me too long to make my first Mosin Nagant purchase, but once I did, I quickly realized that not only do these rifles feel great in my hands, they were rugged and really accurate. I decided to find out how accurate and selected an M38 with a laminated stock to be (reversibly) converted into a sort of 'scout rifle' to see how much I could shrink the group size. I started with an NC Star (economy all the way)4X pistol scope, Zee ultra low rings and a Darrell's scout mount that replaces the rear sight without permanently altering the rifle in any way. All in, this rifle cost about $240, which is amazing to me. That's less than a Handi-Rifle (I'm a big H&R fan). I'm the weak link in this system when it comes to accuracy, but I can consistently put 4 rounds into .75" groups - then I fly one and open the group to 2". It'hard to be really precise with a 4X pistol scope but for practical shooting applications, if I can see it, I can hit it out to about 400 yards. The 7.62 x 54 mm Rimmed Soviet (or 7.62x54R)ammunition this rifle shoots is so good, that it served the armies of the dark side from 1891 to the present. I've settled on a Hornady 174 grain .303" dia. FMJBT bullet over 46 grains of 4064 with a crimp into the cannalure. This load has a muzzle velocity of 2600 fps and generates ~2600 ft/lbs of energy. Another load that's more suitable for hunting but just as accurate is a Sierra 180 Pro Hunter, a PSP flat base bullet over a charge of 45 grains of Varget (2350 fps / 2200 ft/lbs). I'm sure it would shoot 45 grains of 4064 just as well. This load has proven capable of sub minute of angle accuracy. Don't let the old world, so last century look, split bridge receiver and cheap price fool you into thinking these rifles are junk. You get way more than you pay for with these Soviet rifles. The Russians made a bazzillion of them and they've been imported by the millions so they're cheap. Not so for the other variants of the Mosin Nagant, made by the Finns, Chinese, or even Americans and others. The Mosin Nagants, especially the carbines, are perfect back up rifles, hunters, cabin guns or a trunk / truck rifles. What's better that a working piece of history?